Pancreatic cancer kills 50,000 people each year, according to the National Cancer Institute, and there are few effective treatment options for the disease. In a new study, researchers at University of California San Diego School of Medicine have discovered that an enzyme called MICAL2 promotes tumor growth and spread in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinomas (PDAC), the most common form of pancreatic cancer. The study will be published on January 2, 2025 in Cancer Research, a journal of the American Association for Cancer Research. Normally, MICAL2 plays an important role in cell migration and morphology. But when the researchers measured ...

WHAT: Highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza A virus (HPAI H5N1) remains a low risk to the general public, and public health experts in the United States believe that available treatments and vaccines, as well as those in development, are sufficient to prevent severe disease. However, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and its federal partners remain focused on monitoring the virus and evaluating changes, according to leading officials at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the NIH.  In a commentary published in the New England Journal of Medicine, NIAID Director Jeanne M. Marrazzo, M.D., M.P.H., and Michael G. Ison, M.D., M.S., chief ...

University of Iowa researchers are recommending all patients be surveyed about their physical activity levels, after a new study underscores the link between physical activity and chronic disease. The study, led by Lucas Carr, associate professor in the Department of Health and Human Physiology, examined responses from more than 7,000 patients at University of Iowa Health Care Medical Center who noted their level of physical activity in a questionnaire.  From patients’ answers to the questionnaire, the researchers found that those who reported the highest level of physical activity — meaning they exercised moderately ...

Since 2021, Insilico Medicine has successfully nominated 22 preclinical candidates (PCCs) with the help of its proprietary Pharma.AI platform, among which 5 were nominated just the year of 2024. The novel scaffold of ISM1745 is based on de novo generation results of Insilico’s Chemistry42, the generative AI platform combining more than 40 generative models. With in vivo anti-tumor activity validated in multiple cancer models, the candidate compound showed robust in vivo efficacy as monotherapy as well as combination potential with chemotherapies, targeted agents including MAT2A inhibitor, and immunotherapies. CAMBRIDGE, ...

Scientists at University of California San Diego School of Medicine have shed new light on the development of liver cancer, the sixth most frequently diagnosed cancer and fourth leading cause of cancer deaths worldwide. The study, published in Nature, reveals a complex interplay between cellular metabolism and DNA damage that drives the progression of fatty liver disease to cancer. The findings suggest new paths forward for preventing and treating liver cancer and have significant implications on our understanding of cancer’s origin and the effects of diet on our DNA. The incidence of the most common form of liver cancer, hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), has grown by 25-30% in the past ...

Inflammation is a crucial part of the body’s defense mechanism, playing a key role in fighting infections and repairing tissue damage. Basophils, a type of immune cell that makes up less than 1% of white blood cells, have recently emerged as critical players in triggering allergic responses by releasing pro-inflammatory cytokines like IL-4. Despite the established role of basophils in inflammation, the molecular mechanisms controlling their cytokine production have remained unclear. To address this gap, a group of researchers from Institute of Science Tokyo, led by Professor Kensuke Miyake, conducted a study to explore the role of tristetraprolin ...

Researchers are aiming to bring the magic of playing music in person to the virtual world.  The Joint Active Music Sessions (JAMS) platform, created at the University of Birmingham, uses avatars created by individual musicians and shared with fellow musicians to create virtual concerts, practice sessions, or enhance music teaching.  Dr Massimiliano (Max) Di Luca from the University of Birmingham explains: “A musician records themselves and sends the video to another musician.  The software creates a responsive avatar ...

One or two doses of psilocybin, a compound found in psychedelic mushrooms, may improve the mental health of cancer patients when accompanied by psychotherapy, a new report suggests. A second new study found that treatment with psilocybin resulted in lasting, positive personality changes in patients with alcohol use disorder. The first report’s findings were published online Oct. 7 in the journal Nature Mental Health, and the second published online Jan. 1 in a special edition of The American Journal of Psychiatry focused on psilocybin research. In the first study, a team of experts at NYU Langone Health found that psilocybin accompanied by psychotherapy significantly reduced anxiety, ...

To many, Vice President Kamala Harris’s loss in the 2024 presidential election was a sobering reminder of a larger and continuous gender gap across leadership positions in not only government, but also in business, higher education, and the military. A majority of Americans recognize the inadequacy of female representation in leadership, and the news media often portray women’s underrepresentation in these roles—but it nonetheless persists.  Recognizing that news coverage may have influence in forming attitudes and in driving ...

A new international study led by researchers at Karolinska Institutet in Sweden shows that AI-based models can outperform human experts at identifying ovarian cancer in ultrasound images. The study is published in Nature Medicine. “Ovarian tumours are common and are often detected by chance,” says Professor Elisabeth Epstein at the Department of Clinical Science and Education, Södersjukhuset (Stockholm South General Hospital), at Karolinska Institutet and senior consultant at the hospital’s Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology. “There is a serious shortage of ultrasound experts in many parts of the world, which has ...

Researchers from the Bakkers group at the Hubrecht Institute have successfully repaired damaged mouse hearts using a protein from zebrafish. They discovered that the protein Hmga1 plays a key role in heart regeneration in zebrafish. In mice, this protein was able to restore the heart by activating dormant repair genes without causing side effects, such as heart enlargement. This study, supported by the Dutch Heart Foundation and Hartekind Foundation, marks an important step toward regenerative therapies to prevent heart failure. The findings were published in Nature Cardiovascular Research on January 2, 2025. After a heart attack, the human heart loses millions of muscle cells that cannot ...

Artificial intelligence tools such as ChatGPT have been touted for their promise to alleviate clinician workload by triaging patients, taking medical histories and even providing preliminary diagnoses. These tools, known as large-language models, are already being used by patients to make sense of their symptoms and medical tests results. But while these AI models perform impressively on standardized medical tests, how well do they fare in situations that more closely mimic the real world? Not that great, according to the findings of a new study led by researchers at Harvard Medical School and Stanford University. For their analysis, published Jan. 2 in Nature ...

Fighting cancer can seem like a deadly game of chance. While some patients may respond well to certain treatments, others might not be as fortunate. Doctors and scientists have long struggled to explain why. Now, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory (CSHL) Assistant Professor Katherine Alexander and University of Pennsylvania Professor Shelley Berger have found a possible source of this variability in clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC)—the most common kidney cancer diagnosed in adults. Alexander ...

Hula hooping is so commonplace that we may overlook some interesting questions it raises: “What keeps a hula hoop up against gravity?” and “Are some body types better for hula hooping than others?” A team of mathematicians explored and answered these questions with findings that also point to new ways to better harness energy and improve robotic positioners.  The results are the first to explain the physics and mathematics of hula hooping. “We were specifically interested in what kinds of body motions and shapes could successfully hold the hoop up and what physical requirements and restrictions are involved,” explains ...

A team of researchers from Project GOLIAT has developed and applied a new protocol to measure exposure to mobile phone radiation, in particular from 5G. The researchers measured radiofrequency electromagnetic field (RF-EMF) levels during three different scenarios: when the mobile device is in flight mode (non-user), when the mobile phone is used intensively by either downloading or uploading data. The study demonstrates that e. The research was conducted in Switzerland, one of the first countries in Europe to roll out 5G networks on a large scale. The results have now been published in Environmental Research and provide relevant data for epidemiological ...

What Is Deutsche eMark (DEM)?

Deutsche eMark, often referred to by its abbreviation DEM, is a cryptocurrency that draws inspiration from reviving the legacy of the German Mark—Germany’s official currency before the introduction of the euro. The creators of DEM aimed to leverage the recognition of the traditional German currency by combining it with innovative blockchain technology.

The primary mission of the project is to enable fast and efficient transactions both within Germany and on the international market. By using a peer-to-peer network, Deutsche eMark seeks to offer low transaction costs while maintaining a high level of security.

Groundbreaking cerium oxide-based thermal switches achieve remarkable performance, transforming heat flow control with sustainable and efficient technology. Thermal switches, which electrically control heat transfer, are essential for the advancement of sophisticated thermal management systems. Historically, electrochemical thermal switches have been constrained by suboptimal performance, which impedes their extensive utilization in the electronics, energy, and waste heat recovery sectors. A research team led by Professor Hiromichi Ohta of the Research Institute for Electronic Science, Hokkaido University employed a novel approach of ...

Ebola is a deadly hemorrhagic disease caused by a virus that is endemic in parts of East-Central and West Africa. Most people are aware that a primary route for person-to-person transmission is through contact with bodily fluids from an infected person. But more recent outbreaks, including the 2013-2016 Ebola epidemic in West Africa, demonstrated that infectious Ebola virus (EBOV) is also found on the skin’s surface of those who have succumbed to infection or at late times during infection. Although evidence suggests that EBOV can be passed on from skin contact with a person in the later stages of the disease, very little is known about how the virus makes its way out ...

A recent study published in Health Data Science led by Zhilong Zhang from the Institute of Medical Technology at Peking University Health Science Center and Professor Luxia Zhang from the National Institute of Health Data Science at Peking University has shed light on the complex relationship between smoking behavior and chronic kidney disease (CKD). Using data from over 500,000 participants in the UK Biobank cohort, the researchers conducted both traditional observational studies and advanced Mendelian randomization (MR) analyses to explore whether smoking behavior ...

Researchers have come up with a new way to identify more infectious variants of viruses or bacteria that start spreading in humans - including those causing flu, COVID, whooping cough and tuberculosis. The new approach uses samples from infected humans to allow real-time monitoring of pathogens circulating in human populations, and enable vaccine-evading bugs to be quickly and automatically identified. This could inform the development of vaccines that are more effective in preventing disease. The approach can also quickly detect ...

SEATTLE, WASH.—January 1, 2025—Scientists at the Allen Institute have identified specific cell types in the brain of mice that undergo major changes as they age, along with a specific hot spot where many of those changes occur. The discoveries, published in the journal Nature, could pave the way for future therapies to slow or manage the aging process in the brain.  Key findings Sensitive cells: Scientists discovered dozens of specific cell types, mostly glial cells, known as brain support cells, that underwent significant gene expression changes with age. Those strongly affected included microglia and border-associated ...

ITHACA, N.Y. – Cornell University researchers have found the pupil is key to understanding how, and when, the brain forms strong, long-lasting memories. By studying mice equipped with brain electrodes and tiny eye-tracking cameras, the researchers determined that new memories are being replayed and consolidated when the pupil is contracted during a substage of non-REM sleep. When the pupil is dilated, the process repeats for older memories. The brain’s ability to separate these two substages of sleep with a previously unknown micro-structure is what ...

A joint research group team led by Sayuri Tsukahara and Tetsuji Kakutani of the University of Tokyo has clarified a mechanism of how retrotransposons, genetic elements that can “jump around” chromosomes and are known drivers of evolution, preferentially insert in the centromere. The findings were published in the journal Nature. The centromere is the thinnest part of the chromosome that divides it into a long and short arm, much like how the waist separates the upper and lower body. Its role in transmitting information via cell division has been preserved ...

New York, NY—January 1, 2025—Mechanical force is an essential feature for many physical and biological processes. Remote measurement of mechanical signals with high sensitivity and spatial resolution is needed for a wide range of applications, from robotics to cellular biophysics and medicine and even to space travel. Nanoscale luminescent force sensors excel at measuring piconewton forces, while larger sensors have proven powerful in probing micronewton forces. However, large gaps remain in the force magnitudes that can be probed remotely from subsurface ...

Francis Crick Institute press release Under strict embargo: 16:00 GMT Wednesday 1 January 2025 Peer reviewed Observational study Ancient people Ancient DNA unlocks new understanding of migrations in the first millennium AD Waves of human migration across Europe during the first millennium AD have been revealed using a more precise method of analysing ancestry with ancient DNA, in research led by the Francis Crick Institute. Researchers can bring together a picture of how people moved across the world by looking at changes in their DNA, but this becomes a lot harder when historical ...